^Are there other OO Parishes where you live? If so, I think you should attend one of the OO services. If there are no OO parishes around, and you are interested in praying with the Byzantines, you should talk to your Spiritual Father about attending a Chalcedonian/Byzantine service. It's not really for us to decide.

« Last Edit: August 15, 2012, 08:01:55 PM by Severian »

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"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die [...] These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." -The Lord Jesus Christ

No longer active on OC.net. Please pray for me and forgive any harm I might have caused by my ignorance and malice. Pls email me, don't send PMs.

Sorry,I meant no offense. Where does one get a spiritual father if there is no priest here?

Oh, do not worry, you certainly did not offend me. Do you have a Priest you usually confess to? I just think it would be best if you checked with your local Priest before attending a service with others outside our communion.

« Last Edit: August 15, 2012, 09:02:54 PM by Severian »

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"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die [...] These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." -The Lord Jesus Christ

No longer active on OC.net. Please pray for me and forgive any harm I might have caused by my ignorance and malice. Pls email me, don't send PMs.

Even the different OO Churches do not celebrate all of the feasts on the same day. I wouldn't worry at all about celebrating on a different day so you can celebrate as part of a community. Difficulties arise with when to start and stop fasting in such a circumstance, but as long as you deal honestly and don't use it as an excuse it isn't really a problem.

Yes, Salpy the same place. Not trying to commune. Just tired of trying to keep up with two calendars. We have been reading the synaxarium daily and trying to keep up with the daily readings and it throws us when we arrive at Liturgy only to discover its so and so feast day.

The others stay at home and a few of the families are very active at one of the Protestant churches. Still feel very alone here.

Johnathon that was my next question if I follow the local calendar than -- when in Rome-- how do I deal with the fasting?

This is really an absurd problem to have. It's supposed to be that each country follows a calendar according to the culture there, which may or may not be different than its neighbours'. The Church there, of course uses the local calendar, and has its own local liturgical customs. Obviously if you went to another country, you would follow the calendar of that country. But when we have 4 churches on the same block, one following the old calendar, one following the new calendar, one following the Coptic calendar, one following the Armenian calendar, all as if they were in their home countries, and not in the country their in, it causes these silly practical problems. But they're not insurmountable problems. Even within the EO they can have two churches on the same street, one old calendar and one new, so people who might visit one or the other have this problem.

It depends on your needs, and what is best for you. If you occasionally visit there, but mostly follow the Coptic calendar at home and when you can go to Liturgy, I would start and stop fasting according to the Coptic calendar. But if you're mostly attending the community there, and going to the Coptic Liturgy rarely when it is available, then you might start and stop fasting according to their calendar. It isn't the end of the world if you celebrate the Virgin's feast with them while you are still fasting. Not ideal, but manageable. Ideally you would make the decision about when to start and stop fasting under the guidance of a father in confession, but if that is not possible, then the guiding principle is that fasting should teach obedience, so we should just avoid the temptation of suiting the schedule to our preferences and justifying it with various calendars. If we avoid that temptation, then which calendar it's done on doesn't really matter, in my opinion.

I know one person who is sometimes here, sometimes in India, and sometimes in England for the Nativity. If here or in India, it is on Jan7, if in England, it is Dec 25 with the BOC, yet he keeps fasting till the 7th because his heart is elsewhere. Not ideal, but it works, so don't get to hung up on what the right way is.

i agree with jonathan.i am coptic, but the british orthodox church is a part of the coptic church that is on the new calendar (i agree with them on that), but because i fast according to the coptic calendar, i took some fasting cake to this evening's british orthodox meeting, and everyone loved it.

it's not mandatory during a feast to eat loads of meat and dairy products so u can certainly take part and have a coffee with soy milk.i think it's important to meet with others and have fellowship; this way u can make local friends and this will benefit your family.may God guide u.

Thank you Mabsoota and Jonathan I really needed to hear that as I am starting to get really discouraged, I am feeling really alone out here. I am still struggling to learn about the Coptic Church yet have no where to learn and not many people to ask for help...